Up-to-date information can be critical; these 4 tips will add flexibility and increase efficiency when refreshing pivot tables. Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto PivotTable objects are only as good as ...

A straight ranking result is easy using one of Microsoft Excel’s ranking functions. Calculating a conditional rank is even easier if you let an Excel PivotTable do all the work. Image: ...

Have you ever spent hours wrestling with Excel formulas, only to end up with a tangled web of cells that’s nearly impossible to decipher? For many, this is the reality of data analysis: a painstaking ...

Several readers have submitted questions about Excel 2010 and 2007 PivotTables, as follows: Q1: Why does Excel insert the GETPIVOTDATA function into a formula when you use the mouse pointer to refer ...

Q. I usually like Excel PivotTables, but because they don’t allow me to do certain things, such as delete cells or insert new columns or rows, I’m wondering if there is a reasonable alternative? A.

Data wonks, rejoice! Pivot tables now automatically refresh themselves in a new beta version of Microsoft Excel. You might expect that pivot tables—which can be used to summarize rows and columns of ...